Jackie Bradley, Jr. Selected 40th Overall by Red Sox

South Carolina Gamecocks CF Jackie Bradley, Jr. was selected by the Boston Red Sox as the 40th overall pick in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft yesterday.  Bradley, Jr.'s struggles at the plate (.259 average in 37 games this season) and wrist injury likely caused the talented outfielder to slip out of the first round and into the compensation round of day one.  Bradley, Jr. was the third SEC outfielder selected on the first day, behind Mikie Mahtook of LSU (31st, Tampa Bay Rays) and Zach Cone of Georgia (37th, Texas Rangers).  The draft continues today, beginning with round two. 

Gamecock commitment RHP Taylor Guerrieri (Spring Valley/Columbia, SC) was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 24th overall pick in the first round.  Guerrieri's first round selection should end any remaining speculation about his chances of landing on campus this fall.  OF Brian Goodwin (North Carolina/Miami-Dade JC), another commitment in the Class of 2011, was also drafted high enough to indicate the likelihood that he'll forego his remaining two years of amateur status.  Goodwin was selected 34th overall by the Washington Nationals.

Other notable draft picks thus far are: RHP Gerrit Cole of UCLA (1st, Pittsburgh Pirates); RHP Trevor Bauer of UCLA (3rd, Arizona Diamondbacks); OF George Springer of UConn (11th, Houston Astros); RHP Sonny Gray of Vanderbilt (18th, Oakland Athletics); RHP Matt Barnes of UConn (19th, Boston Red Sox); RHP Alex Meyer of Kentucky (23rd, Washington Nationals); and LHP Grayson Garvin of Vanderbilt (59th, Tampa Bay Rays).